Geelong chairman Colin Carter backs a twilight AFL grand final

Geelong chairman Colin Carter, one of the AFL’s most seasoned officials, has joined Collingwood’s Eddie McGuire in backing a potential shift to a twilight grand final this year.

On the eve of the AFL Commission’s decision today on whether to move to a twilight grand final this year, Carter said he supported the shift to twilight but not a night decider.

‘‘I’m in favour of a twilight grand final. [But] I’d be very opposed to a night one,’’ said Carter, whose Geelong board has not formed a position.

Many believe an AFL twilight grand final is inevitable.Credit:Angela Wylie

Carter said a night grand final, by finishing about 10pm, would impact adversely on ‘‘celebrations’’ and post-game festivities.

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‘‘If you start at four or thereabouts and finished it at seven, I reckon it’d be terrific.’’

McGuire said he had been lobbying the AFL hierarchy to have the grand final at twilight or night ‘‘for 10 years’’ and that for AFL to be ‘‘continue to be the No.1 sport in the country’’ it needed the showcase game ‘‘in the No.1 timeslot’’.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has already formed a recommendation on the twilight grand final that the AFL Commission will rule upon at their meeting today, which follows meetings of the presidents and club executives.

But while influential figures have backed the move, Adelaide chairman Rob Chapman said he favoured sticking with the status quo of an afternoon grand final.

Carter said the move to twilight was only a matter of pushing the 2.30pm starting time back by an hour and a half or, at most, two hours. ‘‘Try it, try it a couple of times and if it doesn’t work, revert back to 2.30.’’

Polls consistently show that the majority of the public favour retaining the afternoon grand final. Carter, however, countered that the public often opposed changes that were positive. ‘‘The public will never agree to it.’’

He said there was strong support for a twilight grand final from many of the club presidents. The bulk of players are opposed to the shift, which McLachlan has described as ‘‘inevitable’’ – if not this year, then at some stage in future.